A Stone Sinking in Arctic Waters
by Kaito Lune
Summary: Time of peace is odd for a being of battle, leaving him far more open than he would like to admit.


**Title: **Stone Sinking in the Arctic Waters

**Series: **Bionicle

**Characters: **Kopaka, Pohatu, Turaga Nuju, Turaga Owena

**Prompt: **#59: stone from the 64 damn prompts (livejournal)

**Genre: **romance

**Notes: **Set between _Makuta's Revenge _and _Mask of Light_, with a shit ton of AU since there really isn't a lot of time they spend on the island as I hoped there would be. So, just pretend a few years have passed since _Makuta's Revenge _and the Turaga council from _Tales of the Mask_ have yet to happen.

Kopaka always prided himself on his ability to read others and on his ability to hide his stars under layers of foggy ice. Even from the Turaga, known for reading the other Toa from a small betrayal of their features. Kopaka's ability to read others had been an advantage against his enemies and against the other Toa. But, of course, it would only work during times of conflict. When peace came, Kopaka found it at times hard to really read others and harder to keep his frosty exterior up. To keep some semblance of distance and aloofness, he wandered the mountain slopes near his village for so long.

But, even during peace, a Toa of Ice still had duties, and he had to break his long moments of solitude to fulfill these duties, which included sitting in on weekly Ko-Koro council meetings. Once the meeting closed one night, all left until only the Turaga, his interpreter, and the Toa of Ice sat around the smoldering fire. Turaga Nuju, being the oddest of the Turaga for his choice of language, stared him down and studied him, as if his entire being had been a constellation barely concealed by the clouds and moonlight.

"Duty has many forms," he would finally say in the clicks and whistles of the bird language before leaving with his interpreter.

Kopaka couldn't really think of why the words weighed his mind for days after as he completed his rounds, ensuring his village was safe from the wild Bohrok. A stone sinking deeper and deeper into the arctic ocean. At least, it was the first choice of metaphor he thought of after freezing a Tahnok. Until the source of it crossed his mind. He frowned slightly, and then—oh _Mata Nui._ If Turaga Nuju could see it, could the others—? For the first time, he wished he was in the suffocating heat of Ta-Koro's village rather than his own.

For days after, Kopaka had actively made a point of not giving Turaga Nuju's words thought. But it was just enough to cause an avalanche of rolling thoughts and emotions so complicated and strange, the Toa of Ice had to hunch over in laughter to save himself from being buried alive. Echoes of his laughter bounced off the icy slopes around his home, probably startling all the Ko-Matoran so used to the silence of their village and the mountain slopes.

Eventually, he figured out the only way to make it out of the drift of his thoughts, he would have to dig himself out. He trekked his way to Po-Koro.

All the way he felt silly, he chided himself over and over and_ over_, which only continued as he waited at stone gates of Po-Koro. The gates still held the faint damage from the Bohrak attacks and everything after. Studying the rock and cursing the sun was all he could do from chiding himself more, but this kind of anxiety kept seeping into his bones and melting the foggy ice from the inside out. The gates finally opened, and the Toa of Ice found himself face-to-face with Turaga Onewa.

Kopaka stiffened as the Turaga exchanged simple pleasantries with him as they walked deeper into Po-Koro. Then the bluntest of the Turaga asked, "Why so on edge, Toa? Here to visit your Brother of Stone?" But the Toa had little chance to flinch or twitch under the Turaga's knowing gaze as the said Toa of Stone arrived.

Kopaka took in a sharp breathe. As Pohatu chattered on and as the two walked, that metaphor—that _stupid_ metaphor of the stone sinking in arctic waters—popped in his mind. _Duty has many forms._ Well, he'd be damned to not follow his duty as a good Toa should. But he remained stiff, as if he was trying to stay floating above the sea and not melt and sink as the sun beat down on him with every light word form Pohatu.

"Awaken with frost on your toes, Brother?" had been the last thing said before Kopaka finally sunk into that water he had finally been trying to tread for the whole time. _This dumb metaphor_, he thought before finally leaning back and accepting the fact he had something for this talkative Toa of Stone. So, the Ice Toa gave in to the chatter, allowing himself to dive after that _dumb_ stone of thought.

Well, the cold never did bother him in the first place.


End file.
